Oatmeal is a favorite breakfast choice at our house. It doesn’t matter if it is winter or summer, we can never seem to get enough. Steel-cut oats, with their chewy texture, are my absolute favorite. However, my husband prefers old-fashioned rolled oats. This morning glory baked oatmeal is the perfect compromise. Filled with both steel-cut and old-fashioned oats, along with bright and fresh add-ins like orange zest, apple, coconut and carrot, it leads to no complaints in the morning from either side. We can both happily get our oatmeal fix.
The recipe does take a little time, however it keeps really well in the fridge in an airtight container. I love to make a batch on the weekend and then breakfast is ready to go all week long.
Steel-cut oats take longer to cook than the old-fashioned variety, so I’ve found that mixing them with boiling water and letting them soak for about 15 minutes helps to soften them up and allows them to cook perfectly in the oven alongside the old-fashioned oats. While they are soaking, I use the time to prep all the rest of the ingredients. After the steel-cut oats have soaked, all the other ingredients are added into the bowl (you do not drain off the water) and then transferred to a baking dish and popped in the oven.
How you eat the oatmeal depends on your own preference! If you like oatmeal more on the creamy side, you can dig in right away and enjoy it with a splash of extra milk to loosen it up. Or, you can let the oatmeal sit and then you’ll be able to cut it into bars or squares. The longer you let it rest and cool down, the easier to cut and sturdier the bars will be. They will still have a touch of creaminess in the center but have a texture along the lines of a really soft bar.
As written, this oatmeal is lightly sweetened. So if you like yours on the sweeter side, serve with some brown sugar or additional maple syrup.
Ingredients
- ½ cup steel-cut oats
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground ginger
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest from about 1 large orange
- ½ cup shredded carrot from about 1 large carrot
- ½ cup peeled and grated apple from about 1 medium apple
- ½ cup raisins golden or regular
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9x9 inch baking dish with oil or cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large heat-proof bowl, mix together the steel-cut oats and boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Add the rolled oats, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg to the large bowl and mix until combined.
- In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the egg, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and orange zest. Pour the mixture into the large bowl and mix again until combined. Mix in the carrot, apple, raisins and coconut.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly in the pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until set and golden brown.
marcie says
I love my oatmeal too, and I love morning glory anything! This is so packed with goodness, and I love having something like this ready to go with barely any effort required in the morning. The steel cut oat and rolled oat combination sounds like a great idea, too! 🙂
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Marcie! I love anything morning glory too - there is just something about the flavor combo that wins me over!
Diana @DandelionGreensBlog says
What a lovely recipe! We used to make Morning Glory Muffins when I worked in B&B's. I love this oatmeal version, and can't wait to try it! I'm allergic to carrots so I'll be using parsnip instead 🙂
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Diana! Morning glory muffins are a favorite of mine 🙂
Plant Based Yogi says
Looks wonderful! I bet this would come out great if I substitute the egg with ground flax and water to make it vegan. Can't wait to try!
Ashley Jennings says
Thank you! Let us know if you give it a try that way!
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
I love the name --- who wouldn't want to wake up to this?
Ashlei says
I just made this and it's DELICIOUS! I used cranberries instead of raisins because that's what I had on hand. Yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Ashley Jennings says
So glad to hear it! Thanks Ashlei!
Marina says
Hi Ashley,
I've just stumbled across your recipe and it looks so good! I would really like to give it a try, but I don't think I can find steel-cut oats. Is there any good substitute or can I just use 3 cups of old-fashioned oats? Thanks!
Ashley Jennings says
Hey Marina! I wouldn't substitute in this case (since steel-cut and old-fashioned cook so differently). We actually have a recipe for baked oatmeal that uses all old-fashioned - so I would use that one as a base instead and then instead of the pear maybe add in about 1/4 cup each of the mix-ins from this recipe! And you can also add in some orange zest!
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-spiced-pear-baked-oatmeal/
Michele says
Hi Ashley. Because this recipe contains egg, would it be safe to assemble the night before, store in the refrigerator and bake in the morning? If not, I might try the suggestion of the ground flax seed.
I recently made your Vegan Aussie Bites - delicious!! It was a hit in our home. This was the first recipe I tried from your site (and this is my first post ever on any food site!). Since it was so easy and delicious, I shared it with all my baking friends. It's a great after-school and nut-free snack. Thanks!
Ashley Jennings says
Hey Michele! I think the egg should be fine (I've made overnight french toast which soaks in eggs overnight and never had problems!). I haven't ever tried prepping this ahead of time though, so I can't say how it would turn out! It keeps really well in the fridge once baked so that's the route I've always gone with this!
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship says
This looks sooooooooooooooooooooo amazing. Hopefully they'll be awesome with 100% rolled oats because steel cut are so expensive where I am!
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Ana! Steel cut and regular rolled oats cook pretty differently - so I'd maybe try this recipe instead! https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-spiced-pear-baked-oatmeal/ You could just use different mix-ins to give it that morning glory flavor!
Erin says
This looks delicious! I'd like to prepare and bake this ahead of time at home to pack for a family vacation. Could I reheat the whole thing in the oven on the morning I'd like to serve it? Maybe at 350...for 20 minutes or so?
Thanks!
Erin
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Erin! I think that should be fine! It reheats well in the microwave (which is the only way I've tried reheating it). But as long as you don't bake it again for too long I think it would be good!